Inlet manifold for blood oxygenator apparatus

ABSTRACT

A blood inlet manifold is provided for connection to a first end of a blood heat exchanger including a plurality of hollow conduits arranged in a bundle. A plurality of first ends of the conduits terminate adjacent the first end of the blood heat exchanger and a plurality of second ends of the conduits terminate adjacent a second end of the blood heat exchanger. The blood inlet manifold includes a blood inlet nozzle having an upstream segment and a downstream segment. The upstream segment is connectable to a tube for conveying blood. The blood inlet manifold further includes a generally conical wall member connected to the downstream segment of the blood inlet nozzle and connectable to the first end of the blood heat exchanger. The connection of the blood inlet manifold to the blood heat exchanger defines a chamber between the conical wall member and the first set of ends of the conduits. An interior of the downstream segment of the blood inlet nozzle opens into this chamber.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to surgical support apparatus, and more particularly, to a component of an improved blood oxygenator used to maintain a patient's blood at a predetermined temperature while replacing carbon dioxide in the blood with oxygen.

Blood oxygenators are well known in the medical field. Typically they are disposable components of so-called "heart-lung machines." These machines mechanically pump a patient's blood and oxygenate the blood during major surgery such as a heart bypass operation. A typical commercially available blood oxygenator includes a heat exchanger and a membrane-type oxygenator. The patient's blood is continuously pumped through the heat exchanger. A suitable heat transfer fluid such as water is also pumped through the heat exchanger, separated from the blood but in heat transfer relationship therewith. The water is either heated or cooled externally of the blood oxygenator to maintain the patient's blood at a predetermined desired temperature. The membrane oxygenator comprises a so-called "bundle" of thousands of tiny hollow fibers made of a special polymer material having microscopic pores. Blood exiting the heat exchanger flows around the outside surfaces of these fibers. At the same time an oxygen-rich gas mixture, sometimes including anesthetic agents, flows through the hollow fibers. Due to the relatively high concentration of carbon dioxide in the blood arriving from the patient, carbon dioxide from the blood diffuses through the microscopic pores in the fibers and into the gas mixture. Due to the relatively low concentration of oxygen in the blood arriving from the patient, oxygen from the gas mixture diffuses through the microscopic pores in the fibers into the blood. The oxygen content of the blood is raised, and its carbon dioxide content is reduced. The blood is also heated or cooled before being returned to the patient.

A blood oxygenator must have a sufficient volumetric flow rate to allow proper temperature control and oxygenation. However, blood is typically in short supply and is very expensive. Therefore, it is desirable to minimize the volume of blood contained within the oxygenator, preferably to less than five hundred cubic centimeters. The cells and platelets in human blood are delicate and can be traumatized if subjected to excessive shear forces. Therefore, the blood flow velocity inside a blood oxygenator must not be excessive. In addition, the configuration and geometry of the inlet nozzle, manifolds and outlet nozzle of the blood flow path for a given blood flow rate must not create re-circulations (eddies) or stagnant areas that can lead to clotting.

It is common for a blood oxygenator to be positioned close to the floor of the operating room. Conventional blood oxygenators have heat exchangers and membrane oxygenators which are either in-line or side-by-side. This leads to undesirable height. Furthermore, if the blood is to enter the oxygenator vertically from beneath, it would be desirable for its blood inlet nozzle to be positioned so as to prevent kinking of the blood supply tube connected thereto. It is also important that the blood passing through the inlet nozzle be uniformly distributed throughout all of the conduits of the heat exchanger to maximize the heat exchange efficiency. Therefore, an inlet manifold with an optimum geometry and configuration is required.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a blood inlet manifold for a blood oxygenator which will minimize the physical size of the blood oxygenator.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a blood inlet manifold for a blood oxygenator which will minimize the internal volume of the blood oxygenator that must be filled with blood.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a blood inlet manifold for a blood oxygenator which minimizes shear forces that result in trauma to blood cells and platelets.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a blood inlet manifold for a blood oxygenator designed to minimize re-circulations and stagnant areas that could lead to clotting.

In accordance with the present invention, a blood inlet manifold is provided for connection to a first end of a blood heat exchanger including a plurality of hollow conduits arranged in a bundle. A plurality of first ends of the conduits terminate adjacent the first end of the blood heat exchanger and a plurality of second ends of the conduits terminate adjacent a second end of the blood heat exchanger. The blood inlet manifold includes a blood inlet nozzle having an upstream segment and a downstream segment. The upstream segment is connectable to a tube for conveying blood. The blood inlet manifold further includes a generally conical wall member connected to the downstream segment of the blood inlet nozzle and connectable to the first end of the blood heat exchanger. The connection of the blood inlet manifold to the blood heat exchanger defines a chamber between the conical wall member and the first set of ends of the conduits. An interior of the downstream segment of the blood inlet nozzle opens into this chamber.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following drawing figures illustrate a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Throughout the drawing figures, like reference numerals refer to like parts.

FIG. 1 is an exploded isometric view of a blood oxygenator constructed in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of the blood oxygenator.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the blood oxygenator.

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the blood, heat transfer fluid and gas mixture flow paths of the blood oxygenator.

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the fabrication of the oxygenator fiber bundle of the blood oxygenator.

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic view of the heat exchanger fiber bundle of the blood oxygenator.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged side elevation view of the spindle of the heat exchanger of the blood oxygenator around which is wound the micro-conduit wrapping material.

FIG. 8 is a cross-section view of the spindle of FIG. 7 taken along line 8--8 of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is an end elevation view of the spindle of FIG. 7 taken from the right end of FIG. 7.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged front elevation view of the blood inlet manifold of the blood oxygenator.

FIG. 11 is an enlarged rear elevation view of the blood inlet manifold of the blood oxygenator.

FIG. 12 is a vertical sectional view of the blood inlet manifold of the blood oxygenator taken along line 12--12 of FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is a top plan view of the blood inlet manifold of the blood oxygenator.

FIG. 14 is a further enlarged, fragmentary vertical sectional view of illustrating portions of the conical wall member, vertical lip and rim of the blood inlet manifold of the blood oxygenator of FIGS. 10-13.

FIG. 15 is an enlarged, fragmentary, broken away view illustrating the internal assembly of the components of the blood oxygenator.

FIG. 16 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 15 illustrating details of the blood outlet manifold of the blood oxygenator.

FIG. 17 is a top plan view of the lower venous gas header of the blood oxygenator. Also visible in this figure are the inner heat exchanger housing, the water inlet nozzle, the water outlet nozzle and the gas mixture outlet nozzle.

FIG. 18 is a sectional view of the lower venous gas header and inner heat exchanger housing taken along line 18--18 of FIG. 17.

FIG. 19 is a sectional view of the lower venous gas header and inner heat exchanger housing taken along line 19--19 of FIG. 17.

FIG. 20 is a front elevation view of the lower venous gas header and inner heat exchanger housing of the blood oxygenator.

FIG. 21 is a side elevation view of the lower venous gas header and inner heat exchanger housing of the blood oxygenator.

FIG. 22 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the lower venous gas header and the inner heat exchanger housing with the blood inlet manifold connected thereto. Also illustrated in this view is the micro-conduit fiber bundle of the heat exchanger.

FIG. 23 is an enlarged side elevation view of the outer heat exchanger housing and the transition manifold.

FIG. 24 is a vertical sectional view of the outer heat exchanger housing and the transition manifold taken along line 24--24 of FIG. 23.

FIG. 25 is a horizontal sectional view of the outer heat exchanger housing and transition manifold taken along line 25--25 of FIG. 23.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIGS. 1-3, a blood oxygenator 10 constructed in accordance with the present invention comprises an outer generally cylindrical vessel 12 which is sealed at its upper end by a generally saucer-shaped upper hollow venous gas header 14. The lower end of the vessel 12 is sealed by a generally saucer-shaped lower hollow venous gas header 16. A blood inlet manifold 18 is connected to the center of the underside of the lower venous gas header 16. Concentric, generally cylindrical inner and outer heat exchanger housings 20 and 22 are connected at their lower ends to the center of the lower venous header 16. The upper end of the outer heat exchanger housing 22 includes a transition manifold 24. The interior of the inner heat exchanger housing 20 surrounds and encloses a generally cylindrical first fiber bundle 26 made up of a plurality of vertically oriented hollow micro-conduits. These micro-conduits convey blood vertically therethrough in an upward direction. A second generally cylindrical fiber bundle 28 concentrically surrounds the outer heat exchanger housing 22 and is positioned inside the inner wall of the cylindrical vessel 12. The upper and lower ends of the generally ring-shaped second fiber bundle 28 communicate with the upper and lower venous gas headers 14 and 16, respectively.

The blood inlet manifold 18 (FIG. 2) includes a barbed blood inlet nozzle 30 which bends downwardly at an angle relative to the central vertical axis of the vessel 12. A barbed blood outlet nozzle 32 (FIGS. 2 and 3) extends horizontally from the exterior of an enlarged or flared portion 12a of the vessel 12. A standard leur fitting 34 (FIG. 2) extends vertically from the base of the blood outlet nozzle 32. A thermometer probe fitting 36 (FIG. 3) extends horizontally from the base of the blood outlet nozzle 32.

Inlet and outlet nozzles 38 and 40 (FIGS. 1 and 3) for a heat transfer fluid such as water extend horizontally from one side of the low venous gas header 16 and communicate with water flow passages inside the inner heat exchanger housing 20. A barbed de-bubbler nozzle 42 (FIG. 2) extends upwardly at an angle from the flared portion 12a of the vessel 12. A gas mixture inlet nozzle 44 (FIGS. 1, 2 and 3) extends horizontally from the periphery of the upper venous gas header 14. A gas mixture outlet nozzle 46 (FIGS. 1 and 3) extends from the periphery of the lower venous gas header 16 parallel to the water inlet and outlet nozzles 38 and 40.

The blood, heat transfer fluid and gas mixture flow paths of the blood oxygenator 10 can best be understood by way of reference to the diagrammatic vertical sectional view of FIG. 4. In that figure, the flow of blood is illustrated diagrammatically by the bold solid arrows. The flow of heat transfer fluid (water) is illustrated by the dashed lines. The flow of gas mixture is illustrated by the sequence of dots. Blood from the patient flows through tubing (not illustrated) connected to the blood inlet nozzle 30. This incoming blood spreads out through the blood inlet manifold 18 and travels vertically in an upward direction through the micro-conduits of the first fiber bundle 26 of the central heat exchanger that forms the core of the blood oxygenator 10. Water flows in through the inlet nozzle 38 vertically upward to the top of the heat exchanger fiber bundle 26 through a separate channel isolated from the fiber bundle 26. The water is then directed downwardly and across the outside of the micro-conduits of the fiber bundle 26. The water flows around the outside of the micro-conduits in a direction opposite to the direction of flow of the blood within the micro-conduits. The water exiting from the lower end of the first fiber bundle 26 exits through the outlet nozzle 40. The water is heated or cooled outside the blood oxygenator, as necessary to regulate the temperature of the blood flowing through the micro-conduits of the heat exchanger. The use of a counter-flow heat exchanger provides optimum heat exchange efficiency. The temperature of the blood can be monitored by a circuit (not illustrated) that includes a thermister or other temperature sensing device (not illustrated) mounted inside the thermometer probe fitting 36 (FIGS. 2 and 3).

Blood exiting from the upper end of the first fiber bundle 26 (FIG. 4) of the heat exchanger is directed radially outwardly by the transition manifold 24. This blood then travels around the outside of the fibers of the second fiber bundle 28 that forms the membrane oxygenator. The blood travels downwardly past the outside surfaces of the fibers of the second fiber bundle 28. When the blood reaches the lower portion of the second fiber bundle 28, it is collected in an outlet manifold defined by the flared portion 12a of the vessel and exits through the blood outlet nozzle 32. The blood outlet nozzle 32 is connected to tubing (not illustrated) for returning the blood to the patient.

A gas mixture rich in oxygen from a pressurized source (not illustrated) is conveyed through a hose (not illustrated), through the gas mixture inlet nozzle 44, and into the upper venous gas header 14. The upper gas header 14 communicates with the upper ends of the fibers in the second fiber bundle 28 forming the membrane oxygenator. The oxygen-rich gas mixture travels down through the interior of the fibers in the fiber bundle 28. These fibers are micro-porous. Carbon dioxide from the blood surrounding the fibers in the bundle 28 diffuses through the walls of the fibers into the gas mixture. Similarly, oxygen from the gas mixture inside the fibers of the bundle 28 diffuses through the micro-pores into the blood. The gas mixture now having an elevated carbon dioxide content exits the lower ends of the fibers of the second fiber bundle 28 into the lower venous gas header 16 and then exits therefrom via the gas mixture outlet nozzle 46. This gas mixture now has a lowered oxygen content. The nozzle 46 is connected to another gas hose (not illustrated).

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic illustration of the fabrication of the second fiber bundle 28 that forms the membrane oxygenator of the preferred embodiment 10. The second fiber bundle 28 is comprised of thousands of discrete fibers 48 wound in spiral fashion from the top to the bottom and then back again around the heat exchanger housing 22. This is illustrated diagrammatically by the solid and dashed lines in FIG. 5 which extend at angles relative to the vertical central axis of the housing 22. Each fiber 48 is made of a micro-porous polymer material as is well known in the art. The microscopic sized pores in the walls of the hollow fibers 48 permit carbon dioxide from the blood surrounding the outside of the fibers to diffuse into the gas mixture inside of the hollow fibers. Similarly, oxygen from the gas mixture inside the hollow fibers can diffuse through the microscopic pores into the blood surrounding the outside of the fibers. Oxygenator fiber bundles of this general type are well known and are commercially available from Medtronic Cardiopulmonary of Anaheim, Calif., U.S.A. under the trademarks MAXIMA and MAXIMA PLUS. See also U.S. Pat. No. 4,975,247 of Badolato, et al. assigned to Medtronic, Inc. entitled MASS TRANSFER DEVICE HAVING A MICROPOROUS, SPIRALLY WOUND HOLLOW FIBER MEMBRANE, the entire disclosure of which is specifically incorporated herein by reference.

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic illustration of the first fiber bundle 26 which serves as the core of the heat exchanger portion of the blood oxygenator 10. The fiber bundle 26 has a generally cylindrical figuration and comprises approximately five thousand four-hundred vertically (axially) extending hollow fibers 50. Preferably the fibers are provided in the form of a continuous long web of mico-conduit wrapping material in which the fibers are held together by a thin, flexible, horizontally extending woven interconnect (not illustrated). Such wrapping material is commercially available from Mitsubishi Rayon, Co., Ltd. under the designation HFE430-1 Hollow Fiber. This material uses polyethylene fibers. Similar wrapping material is also commercially available from Hoechst Celanese Corporation under the designation Heat Exchanger Fiber Mat. This material uses polypropylene fibers.

The hollow fibers 50 (FIG. 6) of the heat exchanger fiber bundle 26 have an internal diameter which is so small, e.g. four hundred and twenty-eight microns, that the free flow of blood therethrough may be impaired due to the presence of trapped air bubbles. Accordingly, before using the heat exchanger, it is desirable to pass a wetting agent through the fibers 50. The wetting agent may comprise an ampiphilic molecule having one end which is hydrophilic and a second end which is hydrophobic. An example of such a compound is hydrogenated phosphatidyl choline commercially available from Naderman Corporation under the trademark PHOSPOLIPON. This material has a USP grade and an FDA master file number, approving it for human intravenous use.

The micro-conduit wrapping material of the heat exchanger core is wound about a central, vertically orientated elongated spindle 52 (FIG. 7). The spindle 52 has an intermediate segment 54 having a cross-shaped cross-section, as best seen in FIG. 8. The spindle 52 has enlarged driving ends 56 connected to the opposite ends of the intermediate segment 54. Each of the driving ends 56 has a pair of parallel extending ribs 58 (FIG. 9) which are used to lock the spindle into a winding machine (not illustrated). This machine utilized to wind the micro-conduit wrapping material about the spindle 52. Preferably the micro-conduit wrapping material is compactly wound about the central spindle 52, but without any substantial tension on the web.

Further details regarding the wetting agent and construction of the heat exchanger fiber bundle 26 are set forth in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/584,275 entitled BLOOD HEAT EXCHANGE SYSTEM EMPLOYING MICRO-CONDUIT filed on Jan. 11, 1996 and assigned to Medtronic, Inc. of Minneapolis, Minn., United States of America. The entire disclosure of the aforementioned U.S. Patent Application is specifically incorporated herein be reference.

Details of the blood inlet manifold 18 are illustrated in FIGS. 10-14. As previously indicated, the blood inlet manifold 18 includes a barbed blood inlet nozzle 30. The nozzle 30 is connected to a piece of flexible elastomeric tubing (not illustrated) which carries oxygen-poor blood from the patient to the blood oxygenator 10. The blood inlet manifold 18 includes a generally conical wall member 60 having a circular vertical lip 62 and a horizontal annuler rim 64 surrounding the periphery thereof. The circular vertical lip 62 is configured and dimensioned to be received in a downwardly opening vertical annular recess 66 (FIG. 16). The recess 66 is formed in a downwardly extending annular wall member 68. The wall member 68 is formed with, and projects from, the underside of the lower venous gas header 16. The interfitting relationship of the blood inlet manifold 18 and the raised annular wall member 68 is illustrated in FIG. 15. Preferably the conical wall member 60 (FIG. 10) extends at approximately a ten degree angle relative to a horizontal plane intersecting the vertical axis 70 of the blood oxygenator 10. This axis 70 is illustrated in phantom lines in FIG. 10.

The blood inlet nozzle 30 (FIG. 12) has a downstream segment 30a which extends at approximately a thirty degree angle relative to its upstream barbed segment 30b. The internal configuration of the upstream segment 30b is generally straight and tubular. The upstream segment 30b attaches directly to, and communicates with, the downstream segment 30a. The downstream segment 30a flares outwardly into a generally oval configuration before exiting into the region boardered by the conical wall member 60 and the annular lip 62. A central vertical axis 72 (FIG. 12) of the downstream segment 30a of the inlet nozzle 30 is off center from the central vertical axis 70 (FIG. 10) of the conical wall member 60. A circular raised and pointed projection 74 (FIG. 14) extends upwardly from the outer periphery of the conical wall member 60. It is preferably positioned as close as possible to the co-planar lower ends of the micro-conduits 50 of the heat exchanger fiber bundle 26.

It will be understood that the configuration of the inlet manifold 18 (FIGS. 10-14) permits blood to be efficiently distributed from the tubing connected to the barbed nozzle segment 30b into the lower ends of the thousands of individual fibers 50 of the micro-conduit forming the heat exchanger fiber bundle 26. The thirty degree angle between the segments 30a and 30b of the blood inlet nozzle 30 permits the blood oxygenator to be located close to the floor of the surgery room. The tubing carrying the blood from patient can be connected to the barbed inlet segment 30b and can be gradually bent or curved in the horizontal direction, thereby minimizing the likelihood of kinking.

The geometry of the inlet manifold 18 (FIGS. 10-14) assures a uniform entry of blood into the thousands of fibers 50 that form the core of the heat exchanger. Non-uniform flow would essentially remove some of the heat exchange surface area from contact with blood. The heat exchanger fiber bundle 26 is compact, measuring, by way of example, approximately two and one-half inches in diameter. The internal diameter of the tubing connected to the barbed inlet segment 30b may be, for example, approximately 0.375 inches. Thus, in this example, the blood flood must diverge to almost seven times this diameter in order to uniformly fill the fibers 50 of the heat exchanger fiber bundle 26. The overall height of the blood inlet manifold 18 may be approximately one and seven-eights inches. The height of the circular vertical lip 62 is approximately five-sixteenths inches. In this example, the overall vertical height of the chamber 75 (FIG. 22) defined by the conical wall member 60 is about one-quarter of an inch. The upper and lower ends of the conduits 50 of the heat exchanger fiber bundle 26 terminate in co-planar fashion. The chamber 75 is bounded by the co-planar cut off lower ends of the micro-conduits 50 and the conical wall member 60. The blood inlet nozzle 30 and the conical wall member 60 are configured and dimensioned to permit a blood flow rate of approximately five to seven liters per minute while minimizing shear forces and turbulances that would otherwise traumatize a significant number of cells and platelets in the blood.

The design of the configuration of the blood inlet manifold 30 was facilitated by a computer program based on computational fluid dynamics. The flared configuration into a generally oval outlit of the upstream segment 30a (FIG. 12) of the inlet 30 helps to diverge the blood flow. The ten degree angle of the conical wall member 60 provides for efficient, uniform delivery of blood to the ends of the thousands of fibers of the heat exchanger fiber bundle 26. All this is accomplished with a minimum priming volume and in a manner that minimizes shear forces and recirculations, the presence of which can lead to unacceptable trauma of the blood cells or platelets, and clotting, respectively. The relatively flat angle, i.e., ten degrees, of the conical wall member 60 relative to a horizontal plane extending perpendicular to the vertical axis 70 helps to minimize the priming volume of the blood oxygenator and reduces the number and/or size of recirculations.

Referring to FIG. 12, it can be seen that one side of the upstream segment 30a of the blood inlet 30 is vertical, while the other side follows a complex curve. The misalignment between the center of the inlet segment 30a and the vertical axis 70 has been shown, through computer modeling, to help achieve uniform flow with reduced eddies.

The configuration of the lower venous gas header 16, the inner heat exchanger housing 20, the water inlet and outlet nozzles 38 and 40 and the gas mixture outlet nozzle 46, are illustrated in FIGS. 17-21. These parts, along with the raised annular wall member 68 that receives the blood inlet manifold 18, are all injection molded as a single unitary piece of plastic. The inner heat exchanger housing 20 is formed with an interior vertical wall member 76 (FIG. 19) that defines a water flow channel or path 78 (FIGS. 17 and 19) which extends vertically along one side of the heat exchanger housing 20. The lower end of the water flow path 78 communicates with the interior of the water inlet nozzle 38. The upper end of the water flow path 78 communicates through a port 80 (FIG. 19) into the upper interior of the housing 20. This permits the incoming heat exchange water to be disbursed around the upper ends of the thousands of micro-conduits or fibers 50 of the heat exchanger fiber bundle 26. As previously explained, this water flows downwardly around the outside of the fibers 50, through another port 82, and then out through water outlet nozzle 40. The opening of the nozzle 40 is shown at 84 in FIG. 19.

The upper end of the cylindrical heat exchanger housing 20 is molded with a fitting ring 86 (FIGS. 19 and 21) having an upwardly opening circular recess 88 (FIG. 22) for receiving, and interfitting with, a downwardly extending circular flange 90 (FIG. 24) of the outer heat exchanger housing 22. The fitting ring 86 is connected to the main part of the housing 20 by small plastic extensions 91 (FIG. 21).

The heat exchanger portion of the blood oxygenator 10 is manufactured in accordance with the following general process. First the micro-conduit wrapping material is wound about the spindle 52 to form the generally cylindrical fiber bundle 26. This fiber bundle is then inserted inside the inner heat exchanger housing 20. Generally disc-shaped bodies 92 and 94 (FIG. 22) of a suitable urethane potting compound are formed at the upper and lower ends of the fiber bundle 26. The potting compound disperses around and between the thousands of fibers at each end. The potting compound also bonds to the inner surface of the housing 20 and to the spindle 52. The bodies 92 and 94 of potting compound therefore form upper and lower water-tight seals. Once the upper and lower seals 92 and 94 have been formed inside the inner heat exchanger housing 20, the ends of the fiber bundle 26 are cleanly cut off in co-planar fashion in order to open the upper and lower ends of the thousands of micro-conduits or fibers 50 in the fiber bundle 26. A suitable wetting agent is preferably applied to the interior surfaces of the micro-conduits or fibers 50 of the fiber bundle 26 as previously indicated. This is done before joining heat exchanger with remaining components of the blood oxygenator.

The reason for providing the seals 92 and 94 is as follows. The water flow passage 78 introduces water into the top of the fiber bundle 26 below the upper seal 92. This water flows downwardly through the fiber bundle 26 around and across the exterior surfaces of the fibers 50 which carry blood upwardly in their minuet hollow interiors. The water exits through the outlet nozzle 40 which communicates with the fiber bundle 26 above the lower seal 94. Thus the seals 92 and 94 formed by the urethane potting compound prevent the inter-mixing of blood and water. Where the fibers 50 of the heat exchanger fiber bundle 26 are made of polyethylene or polypropylene, it is desirable to surface treat their ends, e.g. with a corona discharge, in order to enhance the bond between the fibers and the urethane bonding material. Further details of this treatment are described in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/585,323 filed on Jan. 11, 1996 entitled SURFACE TREATMENT FOR MICRO-CONDUITS EMPLOYED IN BLOOD HEAT EXCHANGE SYSTEM. Said application is also assigned to Medtronic, Inc. of Minneapolis, Minn., U.S.A. The entire disclosure of the aforementioned patent application is specifically incorporated by reference.

FIGS. 23-25 illustrate details of the outer heat exchanger housing 22. The housing 22 comprises a generally cylindrical body which incorporates at its upper end a transition manifold 24 including a generally conical wall member 96. The housing 22 has a diameter and height which are selected so that the housing 22 can fit over and around, in concentric fashion, the inner heat exchanger housing 20 as best seen in FIGS. 1 and 15. The housing 22 actually is slightly frusto-conical in shape, like vessel 12. Its vertical side wall is slightly tapered, e.g. two degrees. This draft is beneficial when injection molding these components to facilitate ejection from the molding tools. The interior surface of the housing 22 is formed with a plurality of circumferentially spaced, vertically extending tapered ribs 98 (FIG. 24).

As previously indicated, the outer heat exchanger housing 22 is formed at its upper end with a circular, downwardly extending flange 90 (FIG. 24) which interfits with, and is received in, an upwardly opening recess 88 in the fitting ring 86 formed at the upper end of the inner heat exchanger housing 20. The transition manifold 24 includes the generally conical wall member 96 (FIGS. 23 and 24). It further includes a plurality of radially extending vertical fins 100. The fins 100 are spaced circumferentially about the upper end of the housing 22 and serve to support and connect the conical wall member 96 with the upper end of the main cylindrical shell portion of outer heat exchanger. As illustrated diagrammatically in FIG. 4, the transition manifold 24 serves to redirect the upwardly flowing blood from the micro-conduits or fibers 50 of the heat exchanger fiber bundle 26 radially outwardly around the micro-porous fibers 48 of the oxygenator fiber bundle 28.

The configuration of the transition manifold 24 was also optimized by executing a computer program based on computational fluid dynamics. The configuration of the transition manifold is designed to achieve a uniform distribution of blood flowing out of the heat exchanger fiber bundle 26 into the oxygenator fiber bundle 28, with a minimum of shear forces exerted on the blood cells and platelets. At the same time, the transition manifold 24 enables the blood oxygenator configuration to remain compact, and does not unduly increase the blood volume of the blood oxygenator. Furthermore, the configuration of the transition manifold 24 minimizes shear forces that would otherwise traumatize the blood cells and platelets. It also minimizes re-circulations and stagnant areas that could lead to clotting.

In the preferred embodiment 10 of the blood oxygenator of the present invention, the angle θ (FIG. 24) between the conical wall member 96 and a horizontal plane intersecting the vertical axis 70 is approximately eleven and one half degrees. The transition manifold 24 further includes an upwardly tapered wall section 102 which is circular and is located radially outward from the conical wall member 96. The angle α between the surface of the wall section 102 and the vertical axis 70 is approximately fourteen degrees. The angles θ and α of the wall member 96 and wall section 102 are specifically designed to eliminate recirculations. They also minimize shear forces. The conical wall member 96 includes a central downwardly projecting boss or hub 104 (FIG. 24). This hub 104 has a round configuration and is generally positioned over the center of the heat exchanger fiber bundle 26, adjacent the upper end of its spindle 52. The upper end of the spindle 52 is covered by potting compound. Preferably the hub 104 is positioned as close as possible to the potting compound above the spindle 52 to eliminate a stagnant region that would otherwise exist.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 15, the ring-shaped oxygenator fiber bundle 28 concentrically surrounds the outer heat exchanger housing 22. After the bundle 28 is wound about the housing 22 both components are inserted inside the vessel 12. Upper and lower generally ring-shaped seals 106 and 108 (FIG. 15), respectively, are then formed by introducing a urethane potting compound around the upper and lower ends of the fibers 48 of the oxygenator fiber bundle 28. These seals prevent the blood from flowing into the upper and lower venous gas headers 14 and 16. Thereafter, the upper and lower ends of the fibers 48 are cleanly cut-off to allow the upper and lower hollow interiors of these fibers to communicate with the interior of the upper and lower hollow venous gas headers 14 and 16.

The blood oxygenator 10 of the present invention incorporates a specially configured annular blood outlet manifold for collecting the blood from around the fibers 48 at the lower end of the oxygenator fiber bundle 28. More specifically, the flared portion 12a of the vessel 12 (FIGS. 1 and 2) provides an annular blood collection chamber 110 (FIG. 16) for collection of the blood and routing of the same through the blood outlet nozzle 32. The chamber 110 has a generally rectangular cross-section, the precise dimensions and configuration of which were determined by executing a computer program based on computational fluid dynamics. The configuration of the blood outlet manifold was designed to uniformly collect blood from the lower portion of the oxygenator fiber bundle 28 and to efficiently route the blood through the blood outlet nozzle 32 with a minimum of shear forces and recirculations. The blood collection chamber 110 (FIG. 15) is formed between the lower outside surface of the oxygenator fiber bundle 28 and the inner wall of the flared portion 12a of the vessel 12.

The vessel 12, and housings 20 and 22 have been described as being generally cylindrical. They actually have a slight degree of taper, e.g. two degrees. In other words, the vertical sidewalls of these structures diverge slightly moving in a downward direction. Thus, it will be understood that the use of the term "generally cylindrical" herein includes minor deviations from perfectly cylindrical.

Except for the fiber bundles 26 and 28, and the potting compound comprising the seals 92, 94, 106 and 108, the remainder of the structures illustrated and described herein are preferably injection molded of clear polycarbonate plastic. Suitable plastics are commercially available under the designations BAYER Makrolon and General Electric LEXAN HP2R-1112. The separately molded plastic components may be assembled and permanently affixed to each other with a suitable non-toxic ultraviolet (UV) curable adhesive.

Having described a blood oxygenator incorporating a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it will occur to those of ordinary skill in the art that the preferred embodiment can be modified in both arrangement and detail while still embodying said invention. Accordingly, the protection afforded the subject invention should only be limited in accordance with the following claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A blood inlet manifold for connection to a first end of a blood heat exchanger including a plurality of hollow conduits arranged in a bundle with a plurality of first ends terminating adjacent the first end of the blood heat exchanger and a plurality of second ends terminating adjacent a second end of the blood heat exchanger, and a blood outlet manifold, the blood inlet manifold comprising:a blood inlet nozzle having an upstream segment and a downstream segment extending at an angle of approximately 30 degrees relative to each other, the downstream segment having a generally oval flared outlet end, and the upstream segment being connectable to a tube for conveying blood; and a generally conical wall member connected proximate a central axis thereof to the oval flared end of the downstream segment of the blood inlet nozzle and connectable to the first end of the blood heat exchanger to define a chamber between the conical wall member and the first set of ends of the conduits, an interior of the downstream segment of the blood inlet nozzle opening into the chamber.
 2. A blood inlet manifold according to claim 1 wherein a surface of the conical wall member extends at an angle of approximately ten degrees relative to a plane substantially perpendicular to a vertical central axis of the inlet manifold coinciding with a vertical central axis of the blood heat exchanger.
 3. A blood inlet manifold according to claim 1 wherein the upstream segment of the blood inlet nozzle has a generally tubular configuration.
 4. A blood inlet manifold according to claim 1 wherein the downstream segment of the blood inlet nozzle has a cross-section which flares moving in a direction toward the conical wall member.
 5. A blood inlet manifold according to claim 1 wherein a first central axis of the downstream segment of the blood inlet nozzle is substantially parallel to, but spaced from, a second central axis of the inlet manifold coinciding with a central axis of the blood heat exchanger.
 6. A blood inlet manifold according to claim 1 wherein the upstream segment of the blood inlet nozzle has a barbed exterior surface.
 7. A blood inlet manifold according to claim 1 wherein the downstream segment of the blood inlet nozzle has a first side with a straight side wall and a second side with a curved side wall.
 8. A blood inlet manifold according to claim 1 wherein the conical wall member is formed with a circular lip for insertion into an annular recess formed in the first end of the blood heat exchanger.
 9. A blood inlet manifold according to claim 1 wherein a surface of the conical wall member extends at an angle of approximately ten degrees relative to a plane perpendicular to a central axis of the blood heat exchanger.
 10. A blood inlet manifold according to claim 1 wherein the downstream segment of the blood inlet nozzle flares outwardly moving in a direction toward the blood heat exchanger fiber bundle.
 11. A blood inlet manifold according to claim 1 wherein the downstream segment of the blood inlet nozzle is connected off center relative to the conical wall member.
 12. A blood inlet manifold according to claim 1 wherein the blood inlet nozzle and conical wall member are configured and dimensioned to permit a blood flow rate of approximately five to seven liters per minute while minimizing shear forces and turbulence that would otherwise traumatize a significant number of blood cells and platelets in the blood.
 13. A blood inlet manifold according to claim 1 wherein a diameter of the conical wall member is approximately seven times an internal diameter of the blood supply tube connected to the upstream segment of the blood inlet nozzle.
 14. A blood inlet manifold according to claim 1 wherein a diameter of the fiber bundle is approximately two and one-half inches and a height of the blood inlet manifold is approximately one and five-eighths inches.
 15. A blood inlet manifold according to claim 14 wherein an internal diameter of the blood supply tube is approximately 0.375 inches.
 16. A blood inlet manifold for connection to a lower end of a generally cylindrical blood heat exchanger including a plurality of hollow conduits arranged in a bundle with a plurality of lower ends terminating adjacent the first end of the blood heat exchanger and a plurality of upper ends terminating adjacent an upper end of the blood heat exchanger, and a blood outlet manifold, the blood inlet manifold comprising:a blood inlet nozzle having a lower generally tubular upstream segment and an upper flared downstream segment having a generally oval outlet end, the upstream and downstream segments of the blood inlet nozzle extending at an angle of approximately 30 degrees relative to each other and the upstream segment being connectable to a tube for conveying blood; a generally conical wall member connected to the oval outlet end of the downstream segment of the blood inlet nozzle and connectable to the lower end of the blood heat exchanger to define a chamber between the conical wall member and the lower ends of the conduits, an interior of the downstream segment of the blood inlet nozzle opening into the chamber; and wherein a first central axis of the downstream segment of the blood inlet nozzle is substantially parallel to, but spaced from, a second central axis of the conical wall member coinciding with a central axis of the blood heat exchanger. 